A pair of offensively lacking, defensively stout teams played to a scoreless draw on Saturday night at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, the Revolution earning just their second point in six matches thanks largely to goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic.
Ivacic and Austin FC All-Star Brad Stuver combined for 12 saves over a lively 90 minutes between two of MLS’s lowest-scoring teams. New England (6-8-7, 25 points) forced eight from Stuver, highlighted by a left hand on a Carles Gil free kick in the 54th minute, as well as solid stops on Luca Langoni and Tomás Chancalay — who paired up front for the first time while struggling striker Leo Campana sat for the opening hour.
Langoni was particularly strong, continuing a solid run of play in the absence of injured forward Ignatius Ganago, who missed his sixth straight match with a quad injury. The 23-year-old Argentine frequently won battles for the ball in his 83 minutes and drove the net for a pair of first-half shots, first grazing the outside of the post, then forcing a save from Stuver just before the halftime whistle.
“It’s not what we wanted . . . [but] I continue to be encouraged. It’s three games in a row where we play well and we get good chances to put ourselves in a position to win the game,” Revolution coach Caleb Porter said. “I’m not frustrated at the finishing. I have belief that those goals will come.”
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“I think in this game especially, it was more about their goalkeeper. . . . In the chances we had, I believe that the players took them pretty well.”
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Ivacic got help when Myrto Uzuni rang the crossbar in the 81st minute for Austin (7-8-6, 27 points), which was playing its first match since losing leading scorer Brandon Vázquez to a torn ACL on Tuesday, as well as from a strong backline centered by Brayan Ceballos which blocked five shots. The keeper was critical in New England getting a draw in its first visit to the Texas capital, though.
His four saves included a point-blank kickout on Uzuni in the 16th minute, denying a rebound on Zan Kolmanic’s wormburner through traffic in the 49th (when Uzuni was charging on the doorstep), and a diving stop on Osman Bukari in the 76th.
“He needed that type of performance,” Porter said. “I thought he had a really good game, and that’s encouraging to see.”
“In the last couple games, I have very high standards for myself and I feel like I didn’t make saves or I didn’t help the team the way I know I can,” Ivacic said. “So, I’m very happy for tonight’s performance.
“I have to give credit to my teammates in the back, the five. They were excellent tonight.”
The night ended a run in which Ivacic and the New England defense had allowed multiple goals in four straight matches, including back-to-back 2-1 losses at Portland and to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, but ran the Revolution to one win in 11 (1-4-6) since their four-match win streak in April and May.
Along with Ganago, New England was without both Peyton Miller and Ilay Feingold, its primary wings out with ankle injuries. Feingold missed his third straight match.
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“Probably in the attack, we suffered a little bit without those two, but I thought Will [Sands] and Brandon [Bye] did a good job defensively and put a good shift in,” Porter said.
The Revolution play twice again next week, visiting the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday before hosting Orlando City on Saturday, July 19, at Gillette Stadium.